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I just saw this project in Chris Parsons's (Sol Trader, Ealdorlight) latest update for Ealdorlight, and I am kicking myself hard for not finding out about it before the Kickstarter ended.

It's not just that the ideas for Ancient Cities sound good to me. It's that this game's feature list is darned near a clone of the core features I've identified for the "Living World" game I've long wanted to create. About the only key feature I don't see listed is the notion of enjoying different kinds of gameplay by "jumping into" NPCs who have various role-based skills.

Here's how the creators describe the game they want to make:Ancient Cities is a Survival and Strategy City Builder game, based on ancient times, currently being developed by Uncasual Games.

Starting in the Neolithic era, you will have to guide your people through generations, discovering and improving technologies, managing resources and population, facing threats from raiders and Mother Nature herself. And, ultimately, building the most fantastic city of antiquity through the ages in a fully simulated world and ecosystem.

If successful [note: Ancient Cities was successfully funded], we expect Ancient Cities to become a powerful game platform for next developments, moving us more and more into the realms of history, exploring different places and ages around the world with you: Bronze Age, Mighty Ur, Classic Greece, Egypt, Rome or Middle Ages.

FEATURES IMPLEMENTED:

In house 3D render technology and UI.

Procedural world generation.

Simulated day and night cycles.

Simulated seasonal cycles.

Weather simulation based on real data.

Wild animal life and plants cycle of life.

Farming system.

Step-by-step structure building and effects.

Resource collection and storage.

Family tree for citizens.

Character attributes.

AI to some extent, including path finding, job selection...

Citizen basic needs like eat, drink, sleep or rest.

Tech system.

Some items of each type to test the tech ( plants, animals, buildings... )

Decay of resources and buildings.

Change time progression from normal speed to several time-lapse velocities.

FEATURES TO BE DONE:

The World

Discover the lands around you sending out exploring parties.

Factions: oher tribes competing for resources, power and alliances.

Cities: Populated places where you can trade or raid, with their own religion, culture and economy.

Migrations due to famine or sickness will spread religion, tech and culture.

Hunter parties will explore the map searching for hunting.

World events can change the course of history.

The City

Survive the unforgiving nature building structures to live and to defend against raiders and predators.

Receive migration parties while taking care of your citizens.

Mine, Chop, Crop, Gather, Hunt and Fish for resources, but be aware they are finite.

Craft tools, weapons, food and other manufactured resources if you know how to do it.

Plant, seed, crop and storage for the winter. But remember that nothing lasts forever.

Take care of your animals and protect them from predators.

Fight back your enemies, trade, hunt and explore beyond your city walls. Or wait for others AI factions to come to you.

Praise your gods for faith and political power, fight against other religions. spread your faith...

Politics.

Lots of more building types, clothes, animals, etc...

The Citizens

Citizen traits, religion and culture.

Sickness can decimate your people.

Yes, it's ambitious, especially given that they've created their own engine for it. It's still impressive.

Looks very promising. If they can pull it off, I'd definitely get it... but I'll remain skeptical until I see some results.

Challenging your assumptions is good for your health, good for your business, and good for your future. Stay skeptical but never undervalue the importance of a new and unfamiliar perspective.Imagination Fertilizer
Beauty may not save the world, but it's the only thing that can

Though, if the powers that be are so inclined to make me an admin or moderator, I'm okay with apotheosis.

Challenging your assumptions is good for your health, good for your business, and good for your future. Stay skeptical but never undervalue the importance of a new and unfamiliar perspective.Imagination Fertilizer
Beauty may not save the world, but it's the only thing that can